The short presentation will cover the influences Shunney observes in Lord’s work and the relevance of this exhibition to current world events and contemporary art.

The program for the lecture is as follows:

The first part will expose a pattern and relationship seen in the international art and film community and the work of Ant Farm and Chip Lord. The talk will compare a diverse grouping of artworks from the 1960’s to current day. Some of the selected artists that will be discussed are Vito Acconci, Cindy Sherman, Adrian Piper, Martin Kippenberger, Chris Marker, Tino Sehgal, The Yes Men and Andy Warhol.

The last part of the lecture will look at current world events starting at the turn of the 21st century. Beginning with Sept. 11, 2001 and leading into the recent events happening in 2011 with Egypt and the greater Middle East . The past years are witness to large transformations and paradigm shifts. Shunney will use this perspective to understand and look at Lord’s exhibition. Concluding with a discussion on what public space and international travel means to the early 21st century observer and artist alike.

Mark Shunney is an artist, critic and curator. In 2001 Mark opened and operated a contemporary art gallery in a storefront in D.U.M.B.O. Brooklyn, NY. Since completing his graduate degree in sculpture in 1997 at RISD, Mark has maintained a studio focus in sculpture and installation art. Starting in 1997 he maintained his studio in Brooklyn (DUMBO & Red Hook) and concluded in the South Bronx before moving it to the forest of Felton, California in 2005.

As the Crow tribe flew over and traveled on the soil that is now the United States. I would like to propose a show that exposes the graphic connections that are apparent between minimalism and native North American culture. This will be based specifically on graphics, objects and tools. I have a direct example of a Crow medicine bag that links this show’s thesis in solid soil. From this context I would like to install a group of objects that represent this ancient culture’s color and graphic methods, and compare it to the early years of artist who immigrated from Europe to the US following the conclusion of WWII. Concluding the exhibit with example’s from the period of Minimalism between the late 1950-1970’s.

I feel the intention of the show succeeds best on the grounds of Paula Cooper’s gallery. Her profound focus in preserving the Minimalist’s impact on America and the international art scene is extremely impressive. The current space allows for one of the most optimal experiences for this type of work and scale. Another perspective is the ease in which I would be able to access certain works with the assistant of Paula’s gallery and contacts. Lastly there is something really strong about this happening on the island of Manhattan.

I also feel that an institutional setting will affect some of the beauty that gets presented. Context is everything in this subject of investigation. A private space can have better controls and take risks that an institution is challenged to catch up to.

The current conversations around fine art, sustainability and environmental issues seamlessly mix into this concept, writing and ultimate exhibit. I see the intentional and universal connections between these different native and imported shamans, artists and writers as a very potent and relevant topic for the day. The show slows histories down and clearly points to a long and connected language between current and past cultures. CROW – judd is an example of how art can strip down and point to the whole of things, and examine the cycle of how all things are connected.

Yesterday as I looked out at the Pacific Ocean I was struck with a heightened awareness of the many lost souls flying above the sea. It brought me back to an earlier conversation where I was reminded that over 80,000 people died in the course of an hour on August 6, 1945. Hiroshima and the American NUKE named ‘little boy’, the child of a bigger package named ‘Fat Man’. After processing this knowledge with some other facts I came across this week- over 42,000 Vietnamese have died because of left behind American land mines, this happened between 1976 (the end of the war) and 2005. All of this informed my every step of silence in a walking meditation. Allowing the many lost in the name of WARS pass thru me. I concluded the walk with this thought- Peace never killed a soul.

Later as I redirected my view a pang came over my core. Twitter brought down by hackers for nearly 24 hours and a slower version of facebook during the morning hours- ‘denial of access’ for all free beings looking for speed. Upon a closer look I found the president (lowercase for a reason) of Iran is being sworn in for a second term on the Koran and the million never showed.

As the day came to an end I scratched my head in disbelief that no media groups even spoke of the day ‘little boy’ was dropped by an American man flying over Japan. Is this why WARS go on? We don’t talk about them? This sounds a lot like my childhood in New England where we said very little and didn’t see that much change.

I hope that my little boy grows up learning a different understanding of the past, future and present. Yesterday gave me little HOPE. We should never live a breathing moment in FEAR. We need to shift this tide and slowdown. Start looking at the physical landscape closely and move forward with educated conversation on the future, without war and with a world connected by free communication.

I enjoy the work very much and I find our approach and observations , at times, similar with to one another. One of the main differences being our citizenship; my being American and you British. Which as an artist is very important to the specifics and context of making work. You also have three years on me in the sixties but I have no less of a respect and inspiration for the entirety of the counter culture movement and its effect on us now.

The reason I was prompted to write you is the recent release I received on your project with CreativeTime, The New Museum and others- ‘It Is What It Is’ . It is perfectly timed and a great reminder for the fast moving American and all the media distractions around the economy which results in less coverage and reminders of the devastating wars going on. With this said my only question is why you don’t mention the involvement of the UK in this war? Seeing how you are British I know it is important to you, and I am amazed at your fascination with America but remember the wars wouldn’t have happened without the UK involvement; past, present and future. I hope this comes to surface more than once with your tour through the US. I also find it funny that you will not make it to the Bay Area with your project. What is the intention in this? Have they already been won over and need no prompted discussions around the current wars? I also wonder if you have done sufficient research to achieve the understanding that the greatest Middle Eastern populations exist in the Bay Area of California.

I am looking forward to seeing what kind of bats make it out of this cave.

The growth of public sculpture and installation has happened with private funding in the United States. The Public Art Fund in NYC has been doing amazing projects along all parts of the island of Manhattan and the fringes of its boroughs. The name would lead you to believe this is a publicly funded operation. It is not! The fall of the NEA lead to a major marriage between art and industry. The CEO’s of the industries also became the leading collectors of Art News profiles. Some of the biggest collectors and supporters have been: The Gap, Enron, Progressive Insurance, Citibank and plenty more. Yes the work landed in the public through the private funding of non profit projects in the public realm. The realization of many projects we have learned about have only been possible with large private investment. Yes the government partially supports some of the projects, but it was the overwhelming support from the private sector that supported a much larger percentage. It should also be noted that this same network of investors have been leaders on the boards of a great many museums in the US and abroad.

I find it funny that you blame the art press. They are guided by their advertising dollars and that comes in from the private sector. The main mission is to review current exhibitions in galleries, the related artists and concepts in the museums and the occasional profile on private collectors. The direction for exposure and critique is best left to groups like The New York Times. This is a solid network of informed journalists. If there is a lack of exposed public sculptures in the press, I believe it is because there have been few realized in the past decades. At this time there is a big paradigm shift and I will assure you that it will bring a great increase in exposure to brilliant public installations and sculptures.

A world set into motion. There is no longer time to sit around and watch your generation grow old. Now is the time to become the voice and action of change. We don’t know all that much. They killed the natives before understanding their keen sense of the land that they stole. Let us now ask questions and push up the stream that will sustainably filter our actions into a cleaner body of thought. Quality rots in the minds of the educated. They throw tradition in your face to quell the uprising. Tradition is based on knowing less then the present. Let us move beyond this. Compost your waste to gain an understanding of death. There is no need for gold when you have solar and wind. Remember all that surrounds us is part rock, air and water. It is that basic! Let us simplify our landscape and make for a multicultural community around unity, health and freedom.

Here we have another example of greed winning over culture. The artist as investor for a decade and then the government/developer comes in and sweeps them up and ushers in a “viable” landscape for the public of New Jersey. The artist pioneered this stagnant, toxic and post industrial enclave located on their shores. Only to witness the government and its guiding developers at work stripping it bare of all the history, recent and past, that brought this area to life. The next chapter is being written through the actions of knocking down old world mills and erecting generic high rise buildings that will rationalize the funds used to build the PATH train station. Why can’t New Jersey make a little preserve for the arts that put Jersey City in the minds of New Yorkers and New Jersey residence alike? Look at all the money and work they do for the sports industry. Is art any different? I feel this is another example of the artist in the post industrial landscape of cities. The artist does the best public relations for an area and then the developers thank them for the free services by wiping out their very existence- right down to the buildings.

Our Towns

Adjusting Vision of Waterfront Arts District to Include High Rises

By PETER APPLEBOME

Published: May 15, 2008

Whether or not you care to see Jersey City as New York’s sixth borough, you could write an interesting urban history centered on the area now designated as its Powerhouse Arts District.